Taco Bell’s employees and COVID-19

For the safety of all Taco Bell employees, customers and their families.

We the undersigned workers of Taco Bell are concerned about the Covid 19 Health Crisis, and we are worried about how our current work situation is putting us and others directly in harm’s way. Taco Bell hasn’t even considered any sort of bonus or hazard pay raise during this COVID-19 outbreak. McDonald’s, Subway, Arby’s, and most other fast food restaurants that have now been deemed “essential” are getting $2-3 pay raises. Some jobs have given their employees hazard pay and they aren’t working either because the business closed. We’re put at risk and putting our families at risk every day that we go to work for Taco Bell.

We are told to change gloves and wash hands between the customers. However, we aren’t given enough staffing to allow us to take these precautions and maintain the company’s desired drive through times without getting questioned about why we aren’t working fast enough. We asked our store manager if we can wear a face mask at work to protect ourselves and he said the regional general manager told him that if an employee feels uncomfortable enough to wear a face mask then that is on them and they need to go home. The regional general manager indicated this is because wearing masks “creates panic and fear”. We say NO! WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC right now and people are being advised by the CDC to wear masks to protect themselves.

Finally, Taco Bell recently had a “Free taco for every customer (obviously in the car) WITHOUT PURCHASE NECESSARY”. Those of us that worked that day know it was the busiest we’ve seen the store since the Corona pandemic began and we have recently been informed they’re going to have another one on the 7th! Corporate is literally encouraging people to come to their store in the midst of the pandemic! April 2nd in the morning there was one case in Dixon, as of 4pm that day there were two and due to what we know about asymptomatic carriers there are likely many more than that. A business losing a few weeks to a month of business isn’t as important as endangering our lives and the lives of our children. By signing this petition we are standing together to demand management make changes before something happens to one of us. If one of us gets sick, we all get sick!

Consequently, we respectfully and formally request that Taco Bell make immediate improvements to our paid time off and workplace health and safety policies. Specifically, we want to request:

That, ideally, the store close until further notice and provide everyone paid leave until reopening.

If the business would be existentially threatened by our first improvement then we request that management support employees and workplace safety by providing a month paid leave to stay home for any employees who have been exposed to COVID-19, show symptoms of COVID-19, test positive for COVID-19, have underlying conditions putting them at greater risk, or live with children or elderly individuals at greater risk.

For those that continue to work we request proper personal protective equipment such as abundant latex gloves, face masks, and hand sanitizer in the store.

We also request a $3 hazard pay increase for all those that choose to work during this crisis.

We engage in this collective, concerted activity under the protection of Federal Law, specifically, Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. We are also prepared to engage in further actions that are also protected by the Act, as well as collective action designed to safeguard our immediate health and wellbeing from imminent danger as defined by OSHA, Standard number 1977.12 (b) (2).